Sunday, November 20, 2016

The Editor’s Review of Poems for Lonely Prophets by Ron Faust

I had the pleasure of reading Poems for Lonely Prophets (Green Ivy Publishers, Illinois, 2016), a
collection of ninety-two free verse poems by Ron Faust sprinkled with a
sampling of his haiku from a previous collection of poems that marked the seventieth
anniversary of the atomic bombing of Japan.The volume is 123 pages in length and includes a prologue by
the author.One of the poems,
“Lost Cap,” was first published in Songs
of Eretz Poetry Reviewhttp://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2015/11/poem-of-day-lost-cap-by-ron-faust.html;
it is difficult to say how many (if any) of the other poems in the collection
are reprints as there is no acknowledgment section.The book is available in trade paperback from Green Ivy
Publishers for nine dollars http://www.greenivybooks.com/index.php/featured-authors/f/ron-faust.html.

Ron Faust describes himself as “a retired
minister-sailor-poet-activist.”He
holds a doctorate from Drew University and attended Christian Theological
Seminary.He is a supporter of
PeaceWorks, American Friends Service Committee, and Disciples of Peace
Fellowships in Kansas City.A
staunch peace activist and anti-nuclear weapons protestor, he is proud of being
arrested for “crossing the line” at Creech Air Force Base.

Poems
for Lonely Prophets is the fourth in a series of prophetic poetry
by Dr. Faust.The work in this
most recent collection focuses on what the author describes as “a wide range of resistant poems about
nuclear weapons, drones, and violence.It describes occasions through 2013 and 2015 when people were arrested
for their high ideals about a non-violent world.”The poems are a prophetic warning that if humanity does not
find a way to coexist peacefully and safely, then we will inevitably destroy
ourselves.Faust rejects the
mantra of peace through strength or peace through war and urges his readers to
take the time and make the effort to find another way.

Dr. Faust admits in “Welcome to the Table” that
accepting those we find unacceptable (or these days, “deplorable”) would be a
real challenge even for him, and I admire him greatly for having the courage to
admit that.Faust rejects
nationalism and the notion of American exceptionalism as contrary to his goal
of peace, a position he expresses simply and effectively in “Blind Patriotism.”The extreme to which he is willing to
go in order to achieve peace is eloquently but shockingly and starkly expressed
in “Postscript to No Harm Done,” where he poetically states that it is better
to die a violent death than to raise the “excuse” of self defense to justify a
violent response.Taken ad absurdum, this would leave only
violent felons alive, but one does have to admire Faust’s commitment to his
cause.

What I enjoy the most about Faust’s poems is their
simplicity of language and straightforward if often misguided logic.When I disagree with the premise of one
of his poems, which I’m afraid I most often do, I feel that I at least have a
better understanding of from where the “other side” is coming, and that I might
be able to have a peaceful, civil, and rational discussion with the guy about
the topic, say over a pint.

Leaving the haiku aside, which are unfortunately not
the best examples of Faust’s poetic prowess, only a few of the poems in the volume
really made me angry.The most
blatant example is “Slaughterhouse 2014 Returned,” a poem that insulted me to
my core and filled me with rancor for the author.This poem, which equates the actions of the Israeli Defense
Force against the Palestinians in Gaza to those of the Nazis against the Jews
demonstrates a dangerously careless naïveté at best or a disturbing penchant
for anti-Semitism at worst.I do
hope it is the former rather than the latter.Another disappointment is “Overkill” which gives credence to
the now thoroughly debunked “Hands
up!Don’t shoot!” fiasco in
Ferguson, Missouri, which led to violent riots and not to peaceful
demonstrations against what turned out to be the justified use of force by
police.

Many of my favorite poems call out the hypocrisy of
churchgoers and religion.“Mad
Mindlessness” and “Masquerade” and “Milquetoast Religion” observe that many “religious”
people focus on good behavior, often feigned, as their tickets to heaven rather
than that on which they should focus, namely actually doing good deeds and
actively promoting universal peace and brotherhood.“The Hypocrisy of Being Too Nice” brings this theme to the
family, pointing out that even family members are afraid to engage each other
in the debate that must take place if we are to achieve the goal of a lasting
peace.

Poems
for Lonely Prophets could teach much to both extremes of the
political spectrum. The left could
learn that responding with violence, vitriol, and mindless name-calling to the
opposition simply will not advance the cause for peace that they purport to
hold so dear. The right could gain
insight (as I have from reading this collection, although I consider myself to
be a centrist) into the thought processes of the left--an opportunity that
unfortunately the left’s insistence on stridency and intimidation have
heretofore not allowed. A
thoughtful and careful read of Poems for
Lonely Prophets could therefore actually bring all sides closer together
and actually advance the cause for peace.
And, as Dr. Faust preaches, that common ground does exist. After all, no one wants a lasting peace
more than a soldier.

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